Not all 3D printers are created equal, and, although some are definitely “more equal” than others, broard FFF platform adoption has unleashed inventors’ creativity, with many people all over the world coming up with — and commercialising — their own, very particular, version of the technology. At an industrial level many companies have built upon previous experiences especially with SLA, DLP, SLS and Inkjet (binder) powder 3D printing.
Within this landscape, one company stands out with a – relatively – simple technology capable of amazing results, the only one to offer true full colour 3D printing with virtually no cost of materials and – most of all – virtually no costs in terms of environmental sustainability. This company is Mcor Technologies and, according to Conor MacCormack, the company’s co-founder and CEO, this strategy is really starting to pay off.
When I met Mr MacCormack at the latest 3D Printshow in London his satisfaction at the results achieved by the company that he and his brother first envisioned in 2002 clearly shines through. “The technology that moves our hardware (based on the SLD, selective deposition lamination, process) has now been consolidated and it is the only one able to offer 3D printing of true full colour models using regular sheets of office paper,” he told me. “We are now concentrating on introducing new software capabilities to allow for even more precision and detail in applying this full range of colours, for example by preserving exact colour schemes even when applying text and boolean geometries in general”.
Unlike Stratasys’ newest Objet 3 Connex500 system, which uses a gradient system of palettes, Mcor’s IRIS platform is able to precisely position any colour in any part of a 3D printed object’s outer surface. Its only real rival for full colour 3D printing currently is 3D Systems, with its Projet x60 range, while even the newest Projet 4500, which can 3D print plastified objects, cannot do as many colour shades.
“We are able to do full ICC colour mapping and thus find and assign the truest colour to anything you would want to 3D print. These are the features that consumers are asking for,” adds Mr MacCormack. “We are aware that the IRIS is not a home 3D printer but it is the perfect system for any business that wants to target consumers.”
The recent partnership with Adobe and the ongoing collaboration with the Staples stores show that Mcor is serious about expanding into the consumer (and prosumer) sector. The recent sales numbers confirm this trend. Although Mcor does not disclose exact unit sale figures, the company’s CEO revealed that they are in the hundreds of systems sold and that the company is set to grow by a further 400% in the coming year.
Mcor believes consumer demand for its type of 3D printing is set to grow even more with the rapid diffusion (and general price reduction) of 3D scanning systems. Prices have been dropping from several thousand dollars to just a few hundred for an efficient 3D scanner and this greater availability of colour 3D models will likely translate to higher demand for colour 3D printing.
If Mr MacCormack’s forecast is accurate, the company’s strategy to adopt a fully green policy, which has been recognized by the 3D Printshow Green Award for 2014, will prove even more beneficial. “Our 3D printing technology has low energy requirements and the material we use – paper – is the most recyclable there is,” he says. “It is non-toxic, emits no fumes, leaves no dust and does not require an extraction unit. Our inks are water soluble and the glue we use is fully biodegradable. Eco-sustainability has always been a priority from the very beginning”.
It looks like Mcor has found its pot of “green” gold at the end of the rainbow. But it is unlikely that the company will just settle on it and I expect to see a lot more from them in the following months. Conor hinted that next year was going to be a big year for the company.
Image Credit: Photos by Dario Marinoni © all rights reserved
This ‘Green’3D printer has shown the world what the 3DP & AM should be looking ahead to. Congratulations to Mcor !
Before i start, i want to say that i have the utmost respect for the guys at MCor and the 3D Print-show. However, there is a bit of ‘green washing’ going on here. Although Conner is absolutely correct in his recycling credentials for the MCor machine, he is a little less forthcoming about the embodied energy of using paper as a feed stock. Embodied energy is the energy (usually electrical or gas) needed to make a physical material. In the case of paper that figure is 24 – 32 MJ/kg of material (1 KwH = 3.6 MJ). So, if a ream of paper weighs 2.5Kg and is approx 50mm thick, that mean the MCor material has an embodied energy of 70 MJ per 50mm of build.
Now lets consider the 3D Systems Projet 660 as an alternative, as it has a slightly larger build volume. Now lets assume that we wanted to fill the same area with ceramic material that would be 210 x 297 x 50. now lets assume the Projet material has similar characteristics to other ‘plaster based’ ceramic materials. that would be a density of 2.76 g/cm3 and an embodied energy of 4.5 MJ/Kg. so an equivalent amount of powder to a ream of paper would have an embodied energy of only 38.7 MJ.
Now lets think about the processing and waste steams.
Both machines have X/Y/Z moving axis, they both use aqueous binders, they both use colored inks (albeit the MCor uses a separate printer). In comparison the two machines are very similar in operation.
However, with the MCor, there is always going to be waste. Whereas the Pro-jet is self supporting with reusable materials. Of course paper is recyclable. But – recycling uses energy. In the case of paper 20 MJ/Kg of energy. At present 74% of all paper is recycled, which means the average embodied energy of paper in circulation is 23.12MJ/Kg, which is still way more than the 4.5MJ/Kg for plaster.
Of course ceramic printed parts need infiltration to give them the strength of paper parts. so lets also consider the embodied energy of post processing. Most people use Cyanoacrylate to infiltrate ceramics 3D printed parts. Unfortunately, there is no embodied energy data on Cyanoacrylate, so we will have to consider an alternative such as a 2-part epoxy. This has a high end embodied energy of 130 MJ/Kg. Now lets assume that by weight you use 10% infiltration relative to base material. that would mean 1Kg of infiltrated ceramic would have an embodied energy of 17.5MJ/Kg.
So in conclusion, considering just embodied energy the Pro-jet is ‘greener’ than the MCor if you consider the raw material, operating process, waste streams and post processing. you then also have to consider both the water footprint and emissions to make a full comparison.
If MCor would like to fund a full life-cycle analysis study – Econolyst would love to do it……
This is an excellent point. Even in the world of traditional printing, much of the cradle-to-grave energy input that goes into making a finished document (with an inkjet or laser printer etc.) is actually in the manufacture of the paper.
Mcor is a nice prototyping solution but it is not a “3D printer” ist is a subtractive process like a CNC machine or a router. It prints on paper then cuts it out. Subtractive, not additive.